Chapter 162
Chapter 162
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: Gangneung's Field Stampede
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“It's because a field stampede will break out in Gangneung in just a few days.”
“What?”
Shin Sung-il rarely showed a look of surprise at Shin Yu-hyun's words.
The information was that shocking.
“A field stampede in Gangneung? That's absurd...”
“There's never been a report of anything like that before...”
The conference room erupted in noise in an instant.
Most of the voices expressed disbelief.
In truth, there had never been a stampede in any region occupied by magic beasts up to now.
“Shin Yu-hyun. Is that true? A field stampede is coming?”
“Yes.”
Shin Yu-hyun nodded at Shin Sung-il's stunned question.
“It's the same as a dungeon stampede. The magic beasts multiply until they burst out. The reason no stampede has occurred in occupied regions so far boils down to two factors. Unlike dungeons, the areas are vast, and the magic beast numbers have grown slowly.”
The regions seized by magic beasts were quite expansive.
Dungeon magic beasts grew rapidly, but those in occupied territories increased gradually, produced bit by bit from hives.
That was why no stampede had happened for so many years.
Of course, there were variations by region.
The first dungeon gate on Earth had appeared about 79 years ago, in 1943.
'The dungeon gates emerged because of that secret experiment in 1943.'
1943.
At a naval shipyard in Philadelphia, a secret project called Project Rainbow was launched.
It aimed to create a stealth naval vessel undetectable by radar, using powerful magnetic fields from Tesla coils.
The experiment on the U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Eldridge produced astonishing results.
The Tesla coils generated the intense field as planned, rendering it invisible to radar.
But then, blue sparks erupted around the Eldridge, and it began to vanish.
The scientists overseeing the test were stunned and halted it immediately.
Even worse followed.
Despite shutting down the Tesla coil's field generator, the Eldridge didn't return.
Thankfully, about ten minutes after stopping, it reappeared.
But not in normal condition.
It bore traces of battle everywhere, grotesquely twisted.
The bow and stern were wrenched like a wrung-out rag by immense force.
The interior was hellish—walls, pillars, and floors fused and melted in places, crew blood splattered about.
No sign of the crew anywhere.
Not even bodies.
Instead, something grotesque—not human—lurked inside the Eldridge.
Beings screeching, tentacles writhing grotesquely from their backs and shoulders.
That marked the first appearance of magic beasts on Earth.
Those initial magic beasts had mana barriers too, making conventional weapons useless.
Philadelphia suffered catastrophic losses as a result.
Beyond that, dimensional rifts cracked open, magic beasts poured through, and dungeon gates began spawning.
As more magic beasts invaded, humanity's living space shrank.
Starting with Philadelphia, occupied zones multiplied.
'And then the superhumans, the Awakeners, started appearing.'
Nearly a year after the magic beasts emerged, beings called Awakeners—superhumans—made their debut.
They clashed with the magic beasts, ushering in the rise of martial arts from hand-to-hand combat and, later, magic.
Decades passed.
The West advanced diverse magics; the East honed martial arts.
Countless martial families rose and fell as anti-magic beast techniques solidified.
Over those decades, as the families established themselves, South Korea saw the birth of the Four Great Sword Clans.
Meanwhile, the magic beasts steadily expanded their territories.
Dungeons popped up worldwide; stampedes razed surroundings, claiming more land.
Now, decades later, a field stampede loomed in Gangneung, held by magic beasts.
And likely in other occupied zones globally.
Or perhaps it had already happened, unnoticed.
Territorial expansions by magic beasts were a form of field stampede, after all.
“Soon, magic beasts will pour out of Gangneung. And they'll target Seoul.”
Just like in his previous life.
Back then, Gangneung's field stampede let them devour all of Gangwon Province.
They expanded from Gangneung across the province.
Seoul's capital region naturally became next.
Superhumans made prime prey for magic beasts.
'The losses were devastating in my previous life.'
The Gangwon horde pressed on to the capital area.
One of the Four Great Clans, the Myriad Poison Clan active in Namyangju City, tried to hold them.
But their numbers were overwhelming—thousands at least.
The Poison Clan couldn't manage alone.
The other clans, families, and Hunters joined late, but Seoul's eastern districts still suffered heavily.
'Now, we can minimize the damage.'
Field stampedes caused explosive growth in magic beast numbers.
They built slowly until the stampede, then surged rapidly after.
Compared to post-stampede hordes, the current count was manageable.
With the clan's power, they could wipe out Gangneung's occupants.
“Shin Yu-hyun. I understand what you're saying. But how do you know this?”
'Here it comes.'
Shin Yu-hyun smiled inwardly at his father Shin Sung-il's question.
He knew from his previous life, of course.
But he couldn't say that, so he'd devised a cover.
“It's thanks to Shuv.”
“I'll explain from here.”
Shuv, standing behind him with a smile, stepped forward at Shin Yu-hyun's words.
“I've fought the magic beasts you know for a long time. I understand their ecology well.”
“We're no different. Yet there's no record of a stampede in occupied zones over the past century.”
Choi Seo-jun, deputy hall leader of the Azure Dragon Hall, countered.
Eldest son of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan and retainer to Hall Leader Shin Cheol-min.
Shuv replied with a captivating yet mocking smile.
“A mere century?”
“What did you say?”
Choi Seo-jun's face twisted at Shuv's smile.
A mere century?
The last hundred years of human history were a war against magic beasts.
To dismiss it so lightly.
“I fought magic beasts in a world you don't know. That time dwarfs your history—dozens of times over.”
“Dozens...”
Relatives and retainers in the room looked shocked.
Implying thousands of years at least.
Shin Yu-hyun watched Shuv silently, wondering his true age.
Shuv met his gaze with a smile.
“From my experience, a field stampede is coming soon in Gangneung. And in every occupied zone worldwide.”
“Hmm. Worldwide...”
“A field stampede for real...”
They swallowed, stunned.
If true, occupied zones needed regular sweeps, not just dungeons.
To curb numbers and prevent stampedes.
“Believe me or not, that's up to you.”
Shuv flashed an enigmatic smile at the clan members.
She'd said her piece.
The impact rippled.
Relatives and retainers reacted differently, debating.
Some shook heads in disbelief.
Others nodded, seeing logic.
Some urged countermeasures if true.
Amid the heated talk, eyes converged on one man.
The 7-Star Master Sword King, lord of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan: Shin Sung-il.
His decision would set the course.
Leaning back, eyes closed, he drummed fingers on the table, deep in thought.
Moments later, he opened his eyes and spoke.
“I...”
About three days after the clan meeting ended.
'Is this the clan leader's power?'
Shin Yu-hyun chuckled softly.
Once Shin Sung-il decided, everything moved swiftly and smoothly.
All supplies and preparations for Shin Yu-hyun were ready in record time.
It shaved a full week off his timeline.
From a high hill overlooking Gangneung, he spoke.
“Preparations?”
“All set.”
Choi Jin-seong replied from beside him.
Choi Jin-seong lay prone, peering at Gangneung through the scope of his PGM Hecate 3 anti-materiel rifle.
At the end of his sight: a pack of magic beasts roaming peacefully on Gangneung's ruined streets, like a post-apocalyptic city.
[4-Star Magic Beast: Chaos Buffalo]
They resembled water buffalo but sleeker.
Like all magic beasts, unsettling tentacles swayed from their backs.
“Fire.”
“Yes.”
At Shin Yu-hyun's order, Choi Jin-seong infused the magazine with mana attributes and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The PGM Hecate 3's muzzle flashed.
The Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan's first strike to reclaim Gangneung had begun.